I have a pupil doing this piece for grade 4 in a few weeks' time..... any other teachers out there teaching this at the moment? What are you doing as regards pedalling? I don't particularly like Carroll's pedal markings but he is the composer after all..... - has anyone got the AB exam notes? What does it say in there? (Sorry - I'm too skinflint to buy myself a copy at the moment - not enough call for them just now!.......) Do they advocate sticking rigidly to what's written? Or should change it to what I think it should be? What is everyone else doing?

Sorry - I know I shouldn't really bump a topic, but I'm still keen to know if any other teachers out there can help....... Maybe I should post this in the teachers' forum instead......

Personally, I don't think it is necessary to stick rigidly to what the AB teaching notes say about a piece - it is mostly a matter of opinion what sounds best anyway. I would experiment with different pedalling styles, and see which one you and your pupil like. As long as the result is broadly in accord with the composer's intentions and makes musical sense, I don't think you will go far wrong.

Yes - instinctively I pedal in a very different way...... but I'd just be interested to see what the notes say about the pedalling..... I don't want to teach my pupil my pedalling and then find the examiners are looking for accurate adherence to the markings as that's what the composer intended. (They're very specific markings, dreadful as I think they are.....!) Possibly I'm just having a confidence crisis in my own judgement!

Just an aside on this ... I haven't yet been able to get a copy of the notes for this new syllabus. Are they in short supply or something? I don't think I've missed having them yet, but I have a couple of higher grades coming up and wouldn't mind comparing notes on the choice.

I'd go with your own judgement.

I don't have anyone playing this piece and I've never seen it, but if you still want to know, the notes say:

"One of the timeless character pieces written in the early twentieth century ... yada yada yada ... a staple of the teaching repertoire because the writing is so perfectly crafted. ..... yada yada ... The clearly marked pedalling provides extra sonority. Supported by the pedal, the crotchet rests in bars 5-8 and 15-18 will allow the hands (first the left then later the right) to lift in order to find the third-beat chord in good time. In bar 22 the pedal should be held until the pause has been observed on the left-hand bottom C; it could thn be effective to lift the pedal together with the hands during the rest, to give a small breathing space before launching into the last fortissimo phrase. ... "

The fact that it says the sentence about the writing being so "perfectly crafted" suggests that they quite like it exactly how it is written, but I don't think that necessarily means you are required to stick to the markings strictly without your own initiative. I'd go with how you think it sounds best.




No, I've had a copy for a while and the 2 music shops I visit regularly always have lots in. Perhaps the shop you're going to has just been a bit lax on ordering them? They are definitely around.

I am not a teacher by any means but .....

The notes say :

"This piece, one of the timeless character pieces written in the early twentieth century by Englishman Walter Carroll, remains a staple of the teaching repertoire because the writing is so perfectly crafted. The two lines of prose by Blood given below the title offer just the right imagery to capture a child's imagination, and are a good place to start when presenting this piece to your student. Full chords taking the player across the keyboard at the beginning illustrate the rock standing proud of the mighty sea, and the lighter passages from bar 4 etc. depict the waves which splash and surge towards the reef.

The indication 'Massive' allows your student to let rip with the sound in the first fortissimo and all subsequent ones. However, remember that the quality of tone must remain rich, supported by upper-arm freedom and the use of arm weight for the accented chords.

The clearly marked pedalling provides extra sonority. Supported by the pedal, the crotchet rests in bars 5-8 and 15-18 will allow the hands (first the left then later the right) to lift in order to find the third-beat chord in good time. In bar 22 the pedal should be held until the pause has been observed on the left-hand bottom C; it could then be effective to lift the pedal together with the hands during the rest, to give a small breathing space before launching into the last fortissimo phrase (this time played slower than at the beginning). Playing even more strongly in the last two bars - at fortississimo - brings the piece to a majestic climax in E major. "


Good luck to your student, I did the Vaughan Williams - Valse lente for my G4 'B' piece at the last session.

Thanks Cadence and altoclef3 - that's very helpful to see what's written in the notes. They do seem to suggest that the AB agrees with the pedalling that's marked.... I'll just have to play it again in the lesson on Monday and then come to some decision.....

Thanks again

Your welcome